Middle Eastern crisis

Two US Navy pilots safely ejected over the Red Sea early Sunday after their F/A-18 fighter jet was accidentally shot down in what the US military described as a "friendly fire" incident. According to a statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM), one of the pilots sustained minor injuries.

The U.S. Central Command for the Middle East and Africa (CENTCOM) announced that an F/A-18 fighter jet of the U.S. Navy was shot down on Sunday over the Red Sea in “an apparent case of friendly fire.”

The fighter jet was downed by a missile accidentally launched from the USS Gettysburg cruiser.

A rocket fired from Yemen struck the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area, injuring 14 people, according to the Israeli military. Emergency services reported that paramedics treated those wounded by minor shrapnel injuries, with some transported to hospitals for further care. The military acknowledged failing to intercept the rocket, which caused alarm in one of Israel's most densely populated areas.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) revealed details of overnight airstrikes targeting Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen, conducted on Thursday morning. These strikes were part of a larger operation aimed at crippling the Houthi militia's maritime infrastructure and were described by the IDF as an "economic blow" to the group.

Israel said Thursday it struck ports and energy infrastructure used by Huthi rebels in Yemen after intercepting a missile fired from the country, warning Huthi leaders it "will reach you too."

Huthi media said the strikes hit power stations, oil facilities and the port of Al Hudaydah, causing deaths and injuries, without giving further details.

The U.S. military conducted an airstrike late Monday on a Houthi command and control facility in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the targeted site was used as a hub to coordinate the rebels' operations, including attacks on American naval vessels and merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Greece is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire 36 PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel as part of its efforts to modernize its Armed Forces, according to Reuters, citing two officials.

Before this year, Tobias Kammann, a German container ship captain, had only once sailed around the southern tip of Africa, and the lack of other vessels in the little-trafficked waters made him feel very much alone.

But these days, there are so many ships there, he said, that "it's a bit like the autobahn."

The Israeli Air Force is continuing its preparations for potential strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, following the weakening of Tehran’s allies in the Middle East—primarily Hezbollah—and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Israeli military officials told The Times of Israel.

Three civilians were killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Dec. 11, in the latest violation of a ceasefire deal between the two sides, Lebanese media said.

The fatalities occurred when a drone fired a guided missile at the Al-Awaini neighborhood in Bint Jbeil district, the state news agency NNA reported.